St. Paul's Seminary, Igbariam

The End of a New Beginning.
Congratulations to our JS3 students.
It ended in praise.
To God be the glory.


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DETAILS OF THE EXCURSION OF OUR JSS1 STUDENTS TO THE HISTORICAL SITE - “OBUGAD.”

Mindful of the fact that history serves as the bedrock of identity and that history teaches all things, including the future, our young students, who are eager to learn history, visited the remarkable historical site, “ObuGad”. The primary motivation behind this is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical reality.

Our JSS1 seminarians with their History Teacher, Mrs Lilian Dibor went on an excursion to “Obugad”, a historical site believed and considered as the immigrated homeland of Gad, the seventh son of Jacob (one of the universal patriarchs). On reaching their destination, the seminarians met the king of IDUU ERI kingdom and also the Akajiofor of ndi Igbo, HRM, Igwe Chukwuemeka ERI. With gratitude, he welcomed the seminarians and prayed for them with the sacred and symbolic fruit ‘Oji’. After the prayers, the oji was broken and shared among the king and the seminarians.

The king went on to narrate the history of the Igbos to the seminarians. According to HRM, Igwe Chukwuemeka ERI, Gad was one of the sons of Jacob, thus tracing him to the lineage of Israel. Gad later migrated from the Egyptian abode due to certain upheavals. He, together with his sons Eri, Arodi, and Areli (mentioned in Gen 46 vs 16), made their way from Egypt through the River Nile to the River Niger, which led them to the Omambala river. Gad settled there with his son Eri, while Arodi and Areli moved to other parts of the River Niger. The two brothers made great kingdoms known as Arochukwu and Arondizuogu (the descendants of Areli who had their independence by Maazi Izuogu).

The king stated that Gad and Eri settled in the land known today as ‘Aguleri’. After the death of Gad, he was buried in the land known today as ObuGad, meaning “Gad’s family compound.” Then, Eri gave birth to Agulu, Menri, Atta, Ikpo Eri, Oba Eri. Eri also gave birth to a daughter named Igedo. Moreover, the King noted that it was after twenty-one (21) days of the burial of the second king of Eri kingdom that the ‘Miracle tree’ or ‘Trinity tree’ sprouted without being planted by anybody. It was also recorded that the ‘Miracle tree’ has lived for over 2,960 years. The tree was called ‘trinity tree’ because it was said to have grown into three parts in the same circle and was not planted by anybody.

The seminarians watched a TV footage of the coming together of Eri people in November 2025. The king remarked on how the Igbos were discovered as coming from the lineage of the Israelites. According to him, the research began in 1978 with the Israelites reaching out for their lost relatives. They came to Aguleri and discovered the burial place of Eri. After much examination and analysis of the Igbo culture and traditions, it was ascertained that the Igbos are the lost family of the Israelites. It was recorded that Gad had other sons namely, Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, and Ezhon.

At the end of the visit, the seminarians thanked the king for sharing this history according to oral tradition with them. The king appreciated their efforts in learning history. He encouraged them to imbibe the seminary formation so as to become better persons and formidable future leaders.

The Igbos are great people with vast, rich, and deeply complex history rooted in oral tradition, archaeological findings, linguistics, and anthropological records.
This noble encounter with history will help our students appreciate their origin and build a future that is worthwhile.


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THE PIONEERS AT IT AGAIN!
HISTORY MADE!!!
Evidently, histories don’t make men; men make history. In action lies life, and with that action, history is made. Today, our pioneers sat for their first external examination, the BASIC EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (BECE), taken in our seminary since its inception in September 2023.

They began their seminary formation at St. Paul’s Seminary, Igbariam, on Tuesday, 12th September 2023, with a total of 121 seminarians. Today, being Thursday, 4th June 2026, 73 seminarians sat for their first BECE.
The external invigilator, Mrs. Ogochukwu Akorah, arrived at the seminary compound at 11:00 am. The Fr. Rector, Very Rev. Fr. Hilary Nweke, said the prayers to mark the commencement of the exams at 11:10 am, and the exams started at exactly 11:15 am. Our students were poised and confident for the examination, having worked hard under the guidance of their teachers. Both Basic Science and Technology (BST) and Igbo Language were taken today, and the exams ended by 2:45 pm.

While examinations may not be the true test of knowledge, it remains a vital mandatory metric for academic and professional progression. This exam will bring them to the end of their junior secondary education and offer them a pedestal to progress to the next level of their secondary school education.

We wish them well as they write their examinations and pray for excellent results. Amen.



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Wishing all our friends a fruitful and blessed new month of June.

May, 31 2026.
Concluding the May devotion with the Rosary Procession, Vespers , and Benediction.

Wishing all the children a happy children’s day. God you all🙏🏽